Beginning Weight TrainingMonth One

Beginning weight training for seniors is an age appropriate
starter program. What that means is that after age 50, training
progression for beginners purposely moves at a little slower rate than
it might for a younger person.

Does a "slower rate" mean lower
expectations? No. Tremendous physical improvements should be expected.
Trust the program. It has been senior tested and it works. Doing too
much too soon is a common mistake that can be counterproductive.

Before
starting out, have a thorough physical examination and discuss with
your physician your plans for a beginning weight training program. It is
a good idea to print-out the program to show your doctor.

What follows is the exercise portion for the first month of beginning weight training from my book, Gray Iron: A Fitness Guide for Senior Men and Women . . .

TRAINING: MONTH ONE

On alternating days, you will be
doing weight training one day and cardiovascular the next, totaling six
workout days each week. You rest on day seven. Then repeat the cycle.

On Cardio Days

Note: Even if you are fit enough to do more at the start, I suggest beginning as follows . . .

Day one: Take a five-minute walk.

Day two: Weight training.

Day three (your second cardio day): Take a 10 minute walk.

Then
on each successive cardio day, add another five minutes to your walk.
By the end of your second week, you will be walking 30 minutes on every
cardio day. That is as long as your cardio sessions will be—30
minutes—for the duration of the beginning weight training program.

Once you have worked up to walking 30 minutes nonstop (by the end of
the second week), begin increasing the intensity. However, always start
out by walking slowly for the first few minutes. Then gradually work up
to a fast pace and maintain it until the last five minutes. Then
gradually slow it down. How fast is a "fast pace"? After 10 to 15
minutes, you should start to feel some perspiration and be doing a
little huffing and puffing — but still be able to speak in short
sentences comfortably.

Add some hills to your walk as your
fitness improves. There is no set timetable here. Some people will be
striding up hills after only a few weeks. Others will need much longer
to reach that point. Everyone is different and rates of improvement will
naturally differ. The key is to improve. And enjoy yourself.

After you’ve finished your cardio walk, don't sit down immediately. Cool
off by moving around and walking leisurely for about 5 minutes. Then,
softly, stretch your hamstrings and calves a bit. And that’s it. You’re
finished for the day.

On Weight Training Days

Warm-up for a few minutes (3 to 5 min.) by walking around, lifting your
knees a bit and then circling your arms, doing a few light calisthenics.
Move around actively. Pre-workout stretching is unnecessary.

Definitions:

Reps: That’s short for repetitions. For example, doing an exercise for 10 reps means repeating it consecutively 10 times.

Sets: Sets are groups of reps. Let’s say you do 10 reps, rest, and then do 10 more: that’s 2 sets.

1. Weight train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

2. Always begin with a 3- to 5-minute warm-up.

3. Rest one minute between exercises. Use weights you can handle
comfortably for the minimum number of reps. Use the first couple of
workouts to develop smooth form.

4. After developing smooth
form, begin to add one rep per exercise at each workout. When you've
reached the maximum number of reps, at your next workout increase your
weights (5 to 10 lbs.) and drop back to the minimum number of reps. Once
again, begin adding another rep at each workout. Eventually, straight
line progression will not be possible, but keep repeating the process
for as long as you can.

5. Do all exercises in good form at a
smooth, steady cadence. No swinging, bouncing or cheating. In other
words, always control the weights, while both raising and lowering them.

6. Eventually, you will be using weights that are challenging
when you reach the last few repetitions of each set. That is good, but
it should not be an all-out do-or-die effort. In other words,
don’t train to failure. The set should end when you could squeeze out
one or two more reps if you had to.

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